Yes, it's Thursday, I know. Commish always delivers though, never missing a deadline. This week we had an undefeated team take their first loss and another team catching their first win. Injuries continue to mount up and we're still a week away from bye weeks. Get your FAAB ready because the waiver wire will see a lot more use as we're through the first quarter of fantasy football. A friendly reminder that you should be looking to make a statement now because the coveted mid-season awards are only three weeks away. Let's jump right into it.
Inside Story: (Schefterson, The League Senior Writer): League officials are currently investigating reports of inappropriate slander from team owners about the commissioner. Rumors made waves last week that owners were making defamatory comments relating to the commissioners height and hair loss. Commissioner has yet to publicly respond to said comments as details are still arising but history has shown he doesn't take these matters lightly.
These comments come as a surprise because the public has unanimously voted Commissioner Henderson a 5x Commissioner of the Year, unprecedented in this era. Even early in the season, all signs are pointing to him winning it again this year. One source who wanted to remain anonymous stated, "These comments, if true, are a spit in the face to what Commissioner has done for fantasy football. He is our people's champ and I'll throw hands with anyone who slanders his name." Many others have echoed similar statements, showing that his corner is crowded with many who still believe he will go down as the GOAT.
While more details are still to come about said comments, it's become more apparent they were made out of jealousy for his ridiculously good looks and power he wields. These may stem from the fact he was recently recognized for his accomplishments on covers of GQ, Forbes and Esquire magazines. Others have speculated it's simply because he's the golden boy of this era.
One thing is for sure, owners should stay on notice as sanctions can include loss of draft picks, FAAB dollars, or being stripped of wins. For those who think taking shots at the commissioner won't come back to haunt them, they better aim high because he's at the top and the people's champ don't miss when he strikes back.
WEEK 4 PAYOUT WINNER - SWEET 16
Commish, Pat Freiermuth 15.50pts
Call it a consolation prize if you will but as of right now, weekly payouts is the only way I'm going to get any money back the way it's looking. The old head of the league spoke on Facebook about this being his least favorite payout but I enjoy this one because it's historically been close between TE's. This week was no different. With six minutes left in the MNF game, Higbee caught a 4-yard on a second down pass to tie it up at 15.50pts and I had a bad feeling I was going to have to split the massive $20 pot with Worzie. Same drive with three minutes left, Higbee did me a solid and caught one last pass for 8-yards, bringing it total to 17.30pts for the game. Remember these two plays by Higbee...
START OF THE WEEK
Justin, Rashaad Penny - 28.70pts
"A bad penny will always turn up", and as it would be, Penny went off against Detroit. Yet to find the endzone this year, Penny found it twice on Sunday to go with 151 rushing yards on 17 attempts, leading Justin to a much-needed win against an undefeated team. Once again, Nathan texted me on Sunday telling me one of his players was a lock for SotW but as previously mentioned, I'm not your waiter, give your order to someone else.
BLUNDER OF THE WEEK
Nick, Richie James Jr. - -0.10pts
I'm not big on punching a guy while he's down but today I'm playing the role of Andre Johnson and Nick will be Cortland Finnegan. Unfortunately, when you have a player who ends with negative points, you can almost guarantee you will find yourself on this segment. Lil Richie Rich started the week as the Giants WR1 since Shepard tore his ACL, Toney can't stay healthy and Golladay has become irrelevant. On Sunday, it seemed as if the Giants were trying to beat the Bears with their own playbook by running the ball almost every down. Saquan was the workhorse with 31 rushing attempts while Jones only attempted 13 passes. Richie was limited to three targets and one catch for 9-yards but where he faulted was on special teams, coughing up the ball getting tackled, leaving himself with a final total of -.10pts.
The real kick in the nuts is that Nick lost a close matchup with a negative scorer, JayTay getting injured and Pitts being underutilized, still. If he would have played any of his other receivers instead of Richie, he gets a win. Fantasy is a bitch.
GAME-CHANGING PLAY OF THE WEEK
Rams vs Niners MNF
This MNF game had five total players between Probst and Worzie, giving way to a great fantasy matchup. Going into the game, Worzie had a 23pts lead, Higbee and Wilson Jr. Probst had Deebo, Kittle and SF Def, needing to make a comeback. Throughout the game, Kittle was relatively quiet but Deebo was popping off and the niners defense was holding their own. Come the fourth quarter, Probst had closed the distance as Higbee and Wilson Jr. were doing just enough to keep a small lead.
Middle of the fourth, Rams have the ball and Stafford connects with Higbee on consecutive passes, widening Worzie's lead to 6pts. Same drive, six-minutes left in the game, Stafford drops back and throws his league-leading 6th interception that is taken to the house, giving Probst 8pts and the lead in the matchup. Worzie has one last chance with Higbee on the Rams final drive, and the same two catches that lost him his $20 weekly payout ended up giving him just enough to get the win over Probst. $20 or a win, some may take the money but I'd take the win.
WEEK 4 POWER RANKINGS
1) LBJ = Goat -- : 4-0, nuff said.
2) Me & My Homies ▲2: Jumps up two spots as he continues to get solid RB production and a lot of it.
3) Mac & Chase ▼1: QB troubles becoming an issue and Patterson lands on IR.
4) Pay Me ▼1: Took a tough loss this week, but still scoring solid points.
5) Just Do It ▲1: Catches a win over a 3-0 team, carried by Kelce and Allen weekly.
6) upHill Battle ▼1: Drops a spot despite a win, other teams just look better right now.
7) Mile High Magic ▲2: Found his first win with his big names producing.
8) Chark with Fricken' Lazard Beams ▼1: Swift still TBD, RBs in bad shape.
9) Goodell 2.0 ▼1: Only hope are that backup running backs come through big time.
10) Romo's Revenge -- : 0-4, nuff said.
MATCH-UP FOR WEEK 5
Double Header: Spencer (2-2) vs. Jared (3-1) & Justin (2-2) vs. Nick (0-4)
Brotherly love. We have a doubleheader as the matchup of the week with two sets of brothers facing each other. Little brother Spencer faces a tough matchup against Jared and depending on who Jared decides to start at QB, Spencer may have a decent chance here. Other little brother Justin looks to get over .500 against Nick's winless team. If Nick can get some support from his young guys in Pitts and Pickens, this should be a close matchup.
Last week was tough for me. I went 1-4 with my predictions and now sit at 7-8. Not ideal, but I'm feeling good about my picks this week.
Commish vs. Worzie: Commish
Spencer vs. Jared: Jared
Probst vs. Jere: Probst
Justin vs. Nick: Justin
Nathan vs. Ryan: Nathan
WEEK 5 WEEKLY PAYOUT
The Bye Week - Team that wins with the largest margin of victory
A good week for mismatches, such as Nathan vs Ryan and Commish vs Worzie. I plan on beating Worz by at least 40pts so I doubt anyone else has a chance.
Good luck to everyone in week 5, except you Worzie. You may be the defending champ but I'm taking that cup back this year, assuming I can make it to the playoffs.